Elevating equipment for wort strainers



pril 23, 1935. A. R. KELLER 1,999,009

ELEVA'IING EQUIPMENT FOR WORT STRAINERS FiledJan. 2, 1954 4 sheets-sheet1 Apri@ 23, i935. A. R.

' ELEVATING EQUIPMENT FOR WORT STRAINERS KELLER Filed Jan. 2, 1934 4sheets-sheet 2 April 23, 1935. A. R. KELLER www@ Y ELEVATING EQUIPMENTFOR WORT STRAINERS Filed Jan. 2, 1954 4 `Sheets-Sheet 5 f5 59 J5 f?INVEMIOR YZYQQVQZZW:

April 23, 1935. A, R KELLER 1,999,009

ELEVATING EQUIPMENT FOR WORT STRAINERS Filed Jan. 2, 134 4 Sheets-Sheet4 MNQ f j? i j) {reas/whrt 4% y@ @Wag MyW/.

I strainingequipment Patented Apr. 23, 1935 retenir* encre E;

, ELEVATING. EQUIPMENT Fortx won'r l s'rRAINERs-i Andreas Ri Keller,Lombard, Ill.'v Application Januaryf2; 1934, Serial No. 705,022

'7"Claims.

My. invention relates tomash and strainent'anksf asf-usedintliebrewing'industry and, moreparti'cu# larly, to'. novel. means for'interrelationbetween thefstrain'erand' theagit'ating` mechanism'.

My machine isV designed to' increase the effi#- ciencf/"of suchtanks byimproving the mixing," straining'and.drawing.offeatures; thereby over'-corning'f certain disadvantages of' the equipment now inA use.

Still otherlobj ects'r will. appear from the following' specification.andi from the accompanying.v drawings, in which- Figure lrisafragmentarytopv plan'.view;Eig. 2 is. a sidek elevation showing theagitatingiv andv Fig; 4f is' ai' side elevation of. the algitati'ng`andv strainingequipment when in position foristraining the A'worth To"fully Iunderstand the presentinvention, it is necessary to-c'onsider.thediifl'culties which are" encountered'in this type-'of` equipment.Thermash. in the? tank is thoroughly'stirred and" mixe'd'by meansofmechanicalzagitators in ordertotpermit aproper'circulation oith'efwort.These. mechani-1 calfagitators crush and bruise acertain .amount of:

the grain in said mash and forcethere'fromsmall; V

glutinous particles. has been nished andstrainingl-is mence;.thegrainsettles to thebottom of- After i the'. mixing' operationabouti. to comthe tankt and: thei glutinous particlesV fornr'athin'layer of f material onthe top'oi` the grain whichlis almostimpenetrable. to theliquid Wortabove.' This ree' suitsA in veryslowdrainager ofthe wort through.

this layer and out` of thetank. Inorder to obviat'e this diiii'culty,tubular strainers are now in.' use;

whichtubular 'strainers are forced down*r through' the'glutinous'screenor upper-dough 41'; aslitr is known" in the-trade, and'permit aswifter'draina'ge.

of the' wort from Vtlie tank. These strainer'svmustv bekeptzout ofthepath of ,the agit'atingandmix-A ing mechanism and; therefore; areusuallyA raised:r out off the tank` when mixingl is going.i or1. This#requires 'separate lifts and apparatus;.whereas my inventionpermits thevstrainers tobe'carried on: as the agitators andrtoy the same centralshaft be raised or lowered automatically in conjunce tion with` saidagitators.

With reference to the drawings, the central drive shaft I0 of the tankhas in it keyways II on which slide the sleeve I2. This sleeve I2 has atits upper extremity a collar I6 rigidly yet removably fastened by boltsI1, which collar carries arms I3. From the arms I3 depend the agitatorsI 4 and the scraper I5. Each arm has a bar inthe mixingVR position; FigiSlis? arfrontV elevation". ofthe same.v equipment; and'.-

4S;C1 projecting downwardlyandiA outwardly therefrom': and. ati thelower'end Vof such: bar'. there is horseshoe shaped.brackety ltr;Vsaid'pracket 1y'- ingr parallel with'. the bottom. of# the".Y tank: and'having: itsv opening facing-1V awayffrom. the agita@ tors. Thez endsfofith'ehorseshoe'fcarry channel ironsrflSffandiwz?. WithiirsuchT channelirons are rail`s'- 22;'k and; 23= fastened' to l" a carriage 21| ThisYcarriage supportsf. the vstrainer 24; Tllercarria'ge`v 2|hasprojectingsupwardly 'therefrom-:a r connect'- ing' rodi;V 28liavin'g' a horizontally slotted: top` 2 9:1

The drive'fshaft: vI ua'hasifattacired near 'itslupperf eXtreniityifl a'.collarI`v 303 carrying" a;Tv bar.A 3Ir whichv projectsl outwardlyy'parallel to the'. arms |3- andi slightly:n dowrwvardl'yf. Theffbar- 31has at its-1` einy tremity aipivot32 which. carries atbe'll crankf.composedloi fa-straightrarmand a right-angled arm.:` 3.4i The: arm'33is'f attached: ati ts outward: end to .y the? rodi wfby thercoupling: 35 the f slot-29: The right-angled arm 34 has in its outwardend. a1. s101236' inlwhich .aridesf arpivot coupling; 31 connectingfit'. With: th'efy collar# I6;w The slottedcouplin'gs'fzndefnecessary?becauseofthe fact. that' therodz2van'd.tlresleeve- I 2f travel' ve 'tically, whereas` the-pivotcouplingsa3'1 and 35 must pass'fthrougli arcsfof'anirCIethaVingitsicenter at" pivot 32;

Inzoperationfmy: devicel actsv as follows When*` themashi isbeingfmixedthe'sleeve I2 is atits lowest? position'. and: the vstrainer24 is Aat'its high estsposition. In'thismamier'the agitators I4-re volveirrthef'mashior grain',v whereas the strainer '4l-4fVrevolvesaonlyfthrough; the liquid wort and thusf'o'flers little.resistance; When mixing has beencornpleted, ai hydraulic lift' 44.raises the sleeve'. I2fon'ftlienshaft' IU: The 'raising of the sleeve"'I 21 transmitsl motion: through thel bellcrank 3-3-"to'rtheconnecting-Jod'. 23' which forces the carriagerZIr anditllestrainer24'down to their'A lowestn 'position-z Althouglfrv theV raising. ofl thesleeyel I 2i. necessarily carriesfup rwith it the guid-t ing: channel-irons I9 iand'f 201; said channel irons arelong enoughthat eveninrtheir raised position'Y tral cylindrical partition 26 at the level ofthe upf' per dough, and its lower screen 21 well down into the mash. Thewort 43 may thus pass through the screen 25, down through the center ofthe cylinder 26, outthescreen 21 into the mash 42,

and thus through the false bottom 38 and out the real bottom 39 into thewort pipe 40, without having had to lter through the glutinous lm orupper dough 4l. When the Wort has been strained from the tank and it isdesired to again drop the agitators and raise the strainer, powerapplied to the sleeve l2 again performs both functions through themedium of the bell crank transmission of motion.

WhilerI have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, itis to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes,therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in theappended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all noveltyinherent in my invention as broadly as permissible, in View of the priorart.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In combination with a mash and strainer tank of the characterdescribed; a central power shaft; a sleeve slidably mounted on saidpower shaft; means for sliding said sleeve arms carried by said sleeve;agitators and Scrapers depending from said arms; brackets havingconnection with said arms; vertically positioned channel irons attachedto said brackets; a carriage slidably splined to said channel irons; awort straining device attached to said carriage; a connecting rodextending upwardly from said carriage; a bell crank mechanismintermediately pivoted to a support fixed with regard to verticalmovement; means connecting one of said arms to said bell crank on oneside of said pivot; and means connecting said connecting rod to saidbell crank on the opposite side of said pivot, whereby lifting saidsleeve to remove said agitators and Scrapers from the mash lowers saidstraining'device into said mash.

- 2. In combination with a mash and strainer tank of the characterdescribed; a central power shaft; a sleeve slidably mounted onsaid powershaft; hydraulic lifting means connected to said sleeve arms carried bysaid sleeve; agitators and Scrapers depending from said arms; bracketshaving connection with said arms; vertically positioned channel ironsattached to said brackets; a carriage slidably splined to said channelirons; a wort straining device attached to said carriage; a' connectingrod extending upwardly from said carriage; a bracket rigidly attached tosaid central power shaft; a bell crank pivoted at its center to saidbracket; and slotted pivotal couplings connecting the bell crank to oneof said arms and to said connecting rod, whereby lifting said sleeve toremoveV said agitators and scrapers from the mash lowers said strainingdevice into said mash.

3. In combination with a tank of the character described; a power shaft;mixing means driven by said shaft and connected to means in combinationwith said shaft whereby vertical motion of said mixing means may beeffected; a substantially cylindrical wort straining device; andconnecting means between said mixing means and said straining device,said means comprising a bell crank, intermediately pivoted to a supportfixed with regard to vertical movement and con-` nected on one side ofthe pivot to said mixing means and on the other side of said pivot tosaid straining device whereby said device is held raised when saidmixing means are operating, and is lowered to operative position in themash in said tank when said mixing means are raised.

4. In combination with a mash and strainer tank of the characterdescribed; mixing and agitating equipment; a wort straining device; andconnecting meansbetween said equipment and said straining devicecomprising an intermediately pivoted lever on a vertically fixedsupport, said lever being connected to said equipment on one side of thepivot thereof and to said straining device on the other side of saidpivot, whereby the raising of said mixing equipment automatically lowerssaid straning device into the mash in said tank, and vice versa.

5. In combination with a mash and strainer tank of the characterdescribed; a central shaft; agitating and mixing equipment in connectionwith said central shaft; a wort straining device; and a connecting leverbetween said equipment and said straining device intermediately pivotedon a vertically fixed support, said lever being connected to saidequipment on one side of the pivot thereof and to said straining deviceon the other side of said pivot, whereby vertical motion of said mixingequipment automatically causes an opposite vertical motion of saidstraining device to lower said device'into the mash in said tank whensaid equipment is-raised.

6. In combination with a mash and strainer tank of the characterdescribed; a central power shaft; a sleeve slidably mounted on saidpower shaft; agitating and mixing equipment in connection with saidsleeve; a wort strainingdevice; and connecting means between saidequipment and said device, said means being intermediately pivoted on avertically fixed support and being connected tosaid equipment on oneside of the pivot thereof and to said device on the other side of saidpivot, whereby a vertical motion of said mixing equipment effectuates anopposite vertical motion of said wort straining device to lower saiddevice into the mash in said tank when said equipment is raised.

7. In combination with a mash and strainer tank of the characterdescribed; a sleeve slidably mounted on said power shaft; means forsliding i,-

said sleeve on said shaft; arms carried by said sleeve; agitators andScrapers depending from said arms; vertically positioned channel ironsconnected to said arms; a carriage slidably splined to said channelirons; a wort straining device attached to said carriage; and meanscomprising an intermediately pivoted lever on a vertically xed support,one end of said lever being connected to one of said arms and the otherend of said lever being connected to said carriage, whereby a verticalmotion of said agitators and Scrapers automatically efectuate anopposite vertical motion of said wort strainer to hold said strainerraised when said agitators and Scrapers are in operative position and tolower said strainer into the mash in said tank when said agitators andScrapers are raised.

ANDREAS R. KELLER.

